Squarespace vs Strikingly
We give Squarespace and Strikingly the same GPA: 2.6 out of 4.0. Squarespace grades higher on features. Strikingly grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Squarespace
Template-based website builder with an online store and invoicing
Strikingly
Simple website builder for small sites, stores and memberships
How we grade them
| 2.6GPASquarespaceGood | 2.6GPAStrikinglyGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CBasic is $19 a month for one site on yearly billing ($25 monthly), and it's the plan a small business would buy, since the store comes with it. That's the ordinary middle of this category ($9 to $22). Core at $29 drops the 2% store fee. | BLimited is $8 a month on yearly billing ($12 monthly), covering up to 2 sites on your own domain, so it's inside this category's cheapest quarter ($9). It's capped at 5 pages and keeps Strikingly branding; Pro at $16 lifts both. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan. There's a 14-day trial with no card needed, which is long enough to build the thing and see if you like it, but after that every site needs a paid plan. | CUnlimited free sites with Strikingly branding, which is generous, but none of them can use your own domain. The larger page, storage and store limits all need a paid plan. |
| Features | BTemplates, a drag-and-drop editor, a store on every plan, invoicing, memberships, forms, newsletters and SEO tools. That's the whole job of a small business site. Custom code and pop-ups wait for Core, but nothing core is missing. | CClick-to-edit pages, a simple store, memberships, forms, a blog, and newsletters and live chat on VIP. It's sized for small sites, though: 100 pages and 300 products on Pro, and multiple languages only on VIP at $49. |
| Ease of use | B4.6 from about 18,800 App Store ratings for its phone app. Templates do most of the design work, so you're mostly swapping in your own words and photos. | B4.56 from about 600 App Store ratings. Pick a template, click on anything you want to change and publish straight away. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Google Workspace, Mailchimp, Zapier, Stripe, PayPal and Printful, plus commerce APIs on Core and up. There's no desktop app, which keeps it off an A. | BWeb and an iPhone app, with PayPal and Stripe for the store and feeds from Facebook, Instagram and X. No Android or desktop app. |
| Best for | polished template sites with a shop built in | small, quick sites on a small budget |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Squarespace and Strikingly. How we grade
Price against what you get
Squarespace starts at $19 a month and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Strikingly starts at $8 a month and scores 2.7.
Squarespace scores higher, and starts $11 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other website and landing page builders on the chart, 2 score higher than Squarespace for less, and 1 scores higher than Strikingly for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Squarespace starts at $19 per site / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly). Strikingly starts at $8 per month for up to 2 sites, billed yearly ($12 billed monthly).
- Strikingly has a free plan. Squarespace does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Squarespace lists an Android app.
- Squarespace also covers invoicing.
- Strikingly also covers email campaigns and live chat.
At a glance
| Squarespace | Strikingly | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $19 per site / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly) | $8 per month for up to 2 sites, billed yearly ($12 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | Unlimited free sites with Strikingly branding. Connecting a custom domain, and the larger page, storage and store limits, need a paid plan. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial, no credit card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Squarespace, Inc. | Strikingly |
| Price read from | squarespace.com | strikingly.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Squarespace
- Creatives and small businesses who want a polished site from a template
- Service businesses that also invoice clients and take payments
- Small shops that want the store and the website in one subscription
Strikingly
- Short personal, portfolio or event sites that need to go up quickly
- Small shops selling a handful of products
- Creators running paid memberships on a small budget
Worth knowing
Squarespace
- There is no free plan; after the 14-day trial every site needs a paid plan.
- Basic takes a 2% fee on online store sales and allows only 2 contributors; Core removes both limits.
- Custom JavaScript, code injection, pop-ups and shipping labels all need Core or higher.
- The free domain covers the first year of an annual plan only and then renews at Squarespace's standard rate.
Strikingly
- Limited keeps Strikingly branding, allows only 5 pages per site and one product, and charges a 5% transaction fee.
- Store fees run 5% on Limited and 2% on Pro; only VIP lists 0%, though the page also advertises a limited-time 0% fee lock for new upgrades.
- Phone support, a dedicated account manager and multi-language sites are VIP-only.
- Plan changes go through email support, and a yearly plan cannot be moved back to monthly billing.
Key features
Squarespace
- Templates and drag-and-drop editing
- Sites start from a designer template and are laid out in the Fluid Engine drag-and-drop editor. Every site is adjusted for phones automatically.
- AI site builder and AI credits
- Blueprint builds a starting site from a few answers, and built-in AI writes content. Credits run from 10 one-time on Basic to 120 a month on Advanced.
- Online store on every plan
- Sell unlimited physical products, services, digital goods, gift cards and subscriptions, with abandoned-cart emails on all plans. Basic adds a 2% fee on store sales.
- Invoicing, memberships and paid content
- Branded invoices and pay links are free on every plan. Courses, memberships and paywalled content carry a fee of 7% on Basic, falling to 0% on Advanced.
- Hosting, SSL and unlimited bandwidth
- Managed hosting, free SSL certificates and uncapped bandwidth and storage come with every plan. Video hosting runs from 30 minutes on Basic to unlimited on Advanced.
- Forms, newsletters and SEO tools
- Form and newsletter blocks feed a contacts panel, and SEO guidance and keyword reports come built in. Pop-ups and the announcement bar need Core or higher.
Strikingly
- Click-to-edit builder
- Pick a template and click any element on the page to change it, then publish straight away. Pro and VIP allow up to 100 pages per site.
- Simple Store
- Sell physical or digital goods with coupons and shipping, paid through PayPal or Stripe. Limits run from one product on Limited to 500 on VIP.
- Memberships and paid content
- Pro adds member log-ins, members-only content and paid subscription memberships; VIP adds several membership tiers.
- Forms, newsletters and live chat
- Signup and contact forms work on every site and custom forms come with Pro. VIP adds newsletters to 2,000 active contacts and a live chat widget.
- Blog, analytics and HTTPS
- Each site has a simple blog, built-in visitor analytics and automatic HTTPS, with social feeds from Facebook, X and Instagram.
Plans
Squarespace
Basic$19
per site / month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly)
A full website and store with up to 2 contributors, 30 minutes of video, a 2% fee on online sales and 7% on paid memberships.
Core$29
per site / month, billed annually ($39 billed monthly)
Unlimited contributors, no fee on store sales, custom CSS and JavaScript, shipping labels, commerce APIs and 20 AI credits a month.
Plus$49
per site / month, billed annually ($65 billed monthly)
Lower card rates (2.7% + $0.30), a 1% fee on paid memberships, 50 hours of video and 40 AI credits a month.
Advanced$99
per site / month, billed annually ($139 billed monthly)
The lowest card rates (2.5% + $0.30), no fee on memberships, unlimited video and 120 AI credits a month.
Strikingly
Free$0
Unlimited free sites with Strikingly branding and no custom domain.
Limited$8
per month for up to 2 sites, billed yearly ($12 billed monthly)
Custom domain with SSL, up to 5 pages and 1 GB per site, 50 GB of bandwidth and one product for sale at a 5% fee.
Pro$16
per month for up to 3 sites, billed yearly ($20 billed monthly)
No branding, 100 pages and 20 GB per site, 300 products at a 2% fee, custom forms, memberships, pop-ups, site search and custom code.
VIP$49
per month for up to 5 sites, billed yearly ($59 billed monthly)
100 GB per site, 500 products with no fee, newsletters to 2,000 contacts, live chat, multiple languages, phone support and an account manager.
Ways to pay less
Squarespace
- Annual discount
Pay yearly to save about 24% to 29%
Basic costs $19 a month billed yearly against $25 billed monthly, and Advanced $99 against $139. Squarespace's page advertises savings of up to 36%.
- Other savings
Free domain for a year with an annual plan
Annual website plans include one year of free registration for one domain on Squarespace's cheapest pricing tier; it then renews at the standard rate.
- Education
Students get 50% off the first year
Students who verify their status through Student Beans get 50% off their first full year on a new annual website plan.
Strikingly
- Annual discount
Pay yearly to save $48 on Pro
Pro costs $192 a year billed yearly against $20 a month billed monthly; Limited is $96 a year against $12 a month.
- Other savings
Lower rates for 2, 3 or 5 years paid up front
Pro costs $336 for 2 years, $432 for 3 years and $672 for 5 years; Limited is $360 for 5 years and VIP $2,064.
- Education
35% off Pro yearly and above for students
A back-to-school sale gives 35% off yearly Pro and higher plans after verifying a .edu email address. The page says it expires soon but gives no date.
- Other savings
Free domain for a year with yearly plans
Yearly plans include a free domain for the first year. Domains otherwise cost $24.95 a year.
